


Deadbeat

by SubukuNoJess



Series: Jess's Bad Things Happen Bingo [3]
Category: The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Genre: Angst, Arthropod, Bad Things Happen Bingo, Bugs & Insects, Colony, Dark, Death, Dismemberment, Explosions, Fire, Gen, Hints of abuse, Hive Mind, Kick Them While They Are Down, Mild Gore, One Shot, Origin Story, Revenge, Slight swearing, basically a glimpse of how Oogie came to be
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:33:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28269186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SubukuNoJess/pseuds/SubukuNoJess
Summary: Part of the Bad Things Happen Bingo challenge. Prompt: Kick Them While They Are Down. After a lesser-known Holiday world burns to ashes, a lone cockroach finds himself in the Hinterlands looking for survivors. What he gets tears him apart in more ways than one...
Series: Jess's Bad Things Happen Bingo [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1812640
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	Deadbeat

**Author's Note:**

> Happy almost Christmas Eve with another entry in the Bad Things Happen challenge on Tumblr before the new year. I had this sitting for a long time and got inspired by another fic to continue this and post it out. The prompt "Kick Them While They Are Down" gave me an idea on how to go about Oogie Boogie's backstory. I had to mix some of the video game "The Pumpkin King" along with my own headcannons. Even though this is a oneshot, this scene would be revisited in an upcoming chapter series called "Stitches" with more details and insight. I was pretty nervous posting this since I have written for Oogie Boogie for years and I didn't know if I could pull him off here. Without further ado, here's what I have and enjoy.

DR-859121 gasped, opening his black eyes as he immediately jumped up from the ground while hyperventilating. Where were the falling buildings of flame? What happened to the insects and arthropods scurrying for their lives and the high-pitched screams that accompanied them? He remembered himself trying to escape when everything became black. Was it just a nightmare?

The dark brown cockroach examined himself. A couple of burnt marks were left on his body. Two of his legs were suddenly sore. His right antenna bent at an unnatural angle. Overall, pain blazed through the insect's body. No, it wasn't a nightmare. It was a cold reality once again. 

Bug Day was officially no more. 

To most denizens of the now-forgotten holiday, the town's downfall was inevitable. There were other bigger holidays. The humans were advancing at a great pace. And whether he liked it or not, even the roach would admit that corruption played a role as well. Whatever happened, all that DR-859121 knew was that he wasn’t in Bug Town anymore and that he was alone in an unfamiliar world. 

He glanced up and waved his antennae towards his surroundings. Trees taller than Bug Town's biggest skyscrapers were scattered around him in a blurry mess of brown and grey. It reminded him of the large decaying books that humans read to their young with pictures in it. Strange enough, it smelled like a forest, yet didn’t at the same time.

It didn't make sense to him. How did he get from a burning town to the phantom woods of giants? Did some bug save him at the last second while he was unconscious? Or was he dead and this was limbo? Whatever the case, there was no time to speculate. He had to find the survivors, then figure out everything else from there. Despite his injuries, he moved forward, searching for anything else living when the ground shook.

One tremor. Then another. Then another still. 

The tremors continued in a succession like footfalls as DR-85 tried to move out of the way. However, he could only manage a few twitches at the moment. Were there humans in these woods or something much worse? He didn't want to find out. He kept on moving until a shadow darkened his view and he turned around to view his pursuer. 

The creature above him stood taller than even the tallest humans the roach had encountered. It looked like a giant sack the humans used to store food or materials. Burlap? The sack had five ends instead of four, the one at the very top having three holes. It was as if the sack were pretending to be a human. Its bloated 'skin' seemed to wobble and writhe with something in it as it bent down closer to the ground. After a minute of agonizing silence, it spoke.

"Hey, Pops."

Its voice was deep and loud, echoing and surrounding the roach from above. There was a certain drawl to it along with a hint of annoyance. DR-85 was so dazed, it took him a while to fully register the exact voice. Out of every arthropod and insect he knew, there was only one creature with that distinct tone. Granted, it wasn't that deep before. 

"1331?" He muttered aloud. 

The giant narrowed its... eye holes as it went silent for a moment. Then a hint of a smirk crept upon its face. 

"Ya finally got mah numba right the first try."

The confirmation still left DR-85 in shock. 

"I can't believe this... is it you?" Amongst the confusion, a wave of relief washed over the cockroach as he smiled and attempted to hop. "How did you escape?! Are there any other survivors? How did-"

"Whoa, Pops! Slow down or you'll lose a leg or two! It ain't easy, but we got out togetha'." To answer the roach's question, the burlap sack opened his mouth wide to reveal dozens of insects, worms, maggots, and other arthropods in one spot that made the mouth alone. A striped snake served as a tongue. No wonder the sack was moving around so much!

DR-85 chuckled under his breath. Leave it to his son to be stubborn and creative even with the world falling apart. It was jarring from having to look down at the bug before to now craning his head to see the other, but he'd tolerate it for now.

"I don’t know exactly what ya got going on with this... thing, but I'm not gonna question it. C'mon! The sooner we find a new home, the sooner y'all get outta that sack!" The roach started to move as best he could, only to be stopped by a burlap foot. 

"Where do ya think yer goin'?" The burlap sack's grin dropped to a scowl.

"Didn't you hear me? Somewhere out of here!"

_"We don't think so."_ His voice seemed to split into multiple tiny voices at once. 

DR-85 was stunned, backing up as best he could. He was used to the hivemind mentality the citizens of Bug Town held, but this was different for some reason. It was more direct and dominant than any other colony previous Bug Day leaders held. Before he could utter a sound, his son beat him to it. 

"What do you wanna say now?" The sack snarled in the singular voice, his glare not faltering. "No, wait. Lemme guess: 'I called it. I knew you were gonna run the colony straight into the ground! And did ya listen to me? No! Now the town and the holiday are destroyed. Nice goin', genius!"

"What are you saying? This is not the time! If you're not gonna lead, I'll join you. We'll talk about it when we find a new home." DR-85 frowned and scuttled towards the nearest openings of the sack, but they were immediately either blocked by thoraxes or stitched up. He let out a sharp gasp, then glared. "Don't you know what's going on? Everyone's gone! Ma's gone. Yer siblings' gone. Even the giant bugs and snakes are lost. We're the only ones left, yet you won't let me in?!"

_"... and why should we?"_ The eye sockets narrowed as the deep baritone easily slipped into an eerie harmony of voices that he had once heard casually in town. _"Yer nothin' but a two-timin', back-stabbin', pipe-dreamin', half-pint, worse than dung roach we had to deal with for years! And we could get rid of you right now…”_

Just then, there was a series of clicks and chittering coming from the burlap. A stitch came loose and two insects came out of the sack. DR-85 smiled upon recognizing the stick bug and cucumber beetle walking towards him. 

"Look, I know that things were a little heated- I mean... a lot heated- at Bug Town literally, but I promise we can continue this in another town. And I'm not that bad. You all need me! Beetle, Sticks, back me up over here!"

The stick bug and beetle responded with glowing blank stares. Without a word, the two went on either side of the roach and grabbed him by the arms, hoisting him up on two of his good legs. His face fell.

"Don't tell me you're taking his side."

_"Where were you when we needed back-up?"_ Sticks and Beetle sneered in unison. DR-85 recalled the times when his so-called 'friends' asked for help or favor and sometimes things happened, but he always pulled through in the end!

"Listen-"

"No, **_you listen._** " His son growled so deep, his voice could reach the center of the earth and freeze. "You didn't even congratulate me, not even once! Ya always found one thing ta complain about. 'Oh, that's not how ya run a holiday!' 'Oh, there's not enough ants and spiders!' 'Oh, the food's almost gone!' Then when you were finally happy with me, you were only happy for yourself. Suddenly, it's 'That's my son, The Bug King! I'm so proud of him. I taught him everythin' he knows!'"

"Are we talking about this now?!" The roach exclaimed in disbelief. "We don't know what's out there watching us!"

"The way I see it, we're alone right now and we got all the time in the world fo' this!" As the grip from the two insects tightened, the giant monster leaned in closer. Multiple tiny eyes glaring through the holes and threads as if ready to pounce for the kill. His voice lowered to a whisper. "Ya didn't think I'd notice? What y'all said behind mah back?"

The sack then began to speak in different voices; voices that DR-85 immediately recognized. First was a nasal breeze. _"He's the king of all us bugs? Ha! He'll be overthrown before the end of the year."_

He switched to a wheezy, deep rasp. _"I give 'em three weeks before he calls it quits."_

_"Out of all your offspring, you get the one slower than honey? Don't you have cousins?"_ An airy high pitch. 

_"If the birds and humans don't get him, his bad luck will."_ Sticks and Beetle. 

Then the colony harmonized in a chorus of roars that threatened to shatter antennae, _**"If only my son wasn't a damn screw-up!"**_

_His colony was going insane_ , the roach figured in his mind. He struggled against the stick bug and beetle, his legs kicking as best as they could in an attempt to go free. It was at this sight that the stitched mouth from the sack turned into a smirk and a few chirps were heard through the burlap.

_"Need help with that leg? Let us get that for ya!"_ Before DR-85 could ask, Sticks had a firm grip on his leg and tugged hard. The next second, it came out in a quick squelch and the cockroach's words burst into screams. His shouts and tears were all but tiny shrill shrieks carried off into the breeze to the giant monster. Another series of chirps. Beetle ripped off another leg and bent one of the antennae at a sharp angle which caused the roach to screech louder. Both legs were thrown to the side as one of his arms were pulled as well.

"What's the matta', Pops? Antennae in a twist? Too damn proud to admit it?" The giant sneered as he leaned in more and watched the pest writhe. His grin widened so much, it almost split his face.

DR-85's screams died down into wheezy pants after what seemed like hours to him. He wanted to lose his head or throw up his entire organs than go through this Hell. But he wanted to live. He wheezed, "1331-"

"That's not mah name." The voices unified in the baritone once more. "Since ya didn't bother namin' me like your gang or your special mates, I had to name me myself. I'm Oogie now and I'm more of a leader than _you'd_ ever be. I'm startin' from scratch and I don't need the likes of you draggin' me down." Sticks and Beetle threw the roach to the ground and returned to the sack with the others. Oogie began to lift himself back up when he stopped. 

"There are none, by the way." He added nonchalantly but was met with a confused gaze. "Survivors. You're the only survivor." Out of all the nonsense and craziness the roach had witnessed, that answer won first place.

"What? But the rest of the colony is here..."

Oogie's eyes narrowed as he growled in disappointment and his stitched mouth pressed into a thin line that held his remaining rage. As he stood up tall at his own pace, the burlap monster growled with his colony _"... We died. You left me to **burn."**_

The roach froze in shock, images of Bug Town's downfall replaying his mind as he remembered what had happened as if he were just there minutes ago. There were burning buildings and land as well as bodies that decorated the streets that were withering away. Explosions were scattered left and right. DR-85 was running towards an exit. He heard a shrill cry and turned to see a bug that was a mix of a cockroach and an earwig reaching out to him. Surrounded by fire. Begging for help. Others were nearby crying as well. He did not hesitate. He ran out to the woods. And then there was a boom. 

DR-85 focused back to the present, his face falling into a clouded gaze as his body paled in a trembling, twitchy, crumpled mess. He was talking to corpses. He didn't look up to meet Oogie's eye nor did he notice the monster lifting one of his stubs that acted as feet and hovering it over the pitiful insect. 

"Bug Town's dead. We ain't a colony anymore. We're Mister Oogie Boogie and you. Ain't. Going. No. Where." He started to lower his foot inch by inch in seconds.

DR-85 chirped in sobs and whimpers. He should not have survived. He should have burned with the rest of his world. He should have followed. His twitches were sluggish now. All he could see was the immense, stitched darkness coming closer and-

_ Squish. _


End file.
